jul 21, 1656 - Elizabeth Key Grinstead

Description:

Elizabeth Key Grinstead (1630-1665) was one of the first women of African American descent who won freedom for herself and her son in court.
She was born in 1630 in the colony of Virginia as the illegitimate child of a black indentured servant and a white Englishman. All illegitimate children were supposed to serve 9 years as an indentured servant until they could support themselves. Elizabeth's first master sold her after some years and her second master kept her until long after the required 9 years of servitude were over.
In court she argued that her father was a free man, she was a practising Christian and that she served more than the 9 years that were required by her status as an illegitimate child. On the 21st of July in 1656 she and her son finally received their freedom. Elizabeth served for 19 years.
As a consequence after the Grinstead case, Virginia codified its slave laws: any indentured person was now a slave for life, Christians could also be slaves and all children inherited the social status of their mothers, which often meant that they would also become slaves.
Sadly, Elizabeth's fate was only a lucky exception and overall, the situation worsened for the indentured servants and later slaves in the colony of Virginia.

Source: Black Past - Elizabeth Key Grinstead https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/grinstead-elizabeth-key-1630/

Pictures:
Elizabeth Key Grinstead https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.Fb8swigRbJ8-j4HVsJqeDAHaIc&pid=Api
Reenactors portraying Elizabeth Key and William Grinstead https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.Iz9GQJdwxwV5t1vFl_PskAHaLH&pid=Api

Video:
Elizabeth Key: Crash Course Black American History #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJUknOKAv1M&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNYJO8JWpXO2JP0ezgxsrJJ&index=4

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